The invention is directed toward a conveying device to position a product to be cut. More specifically, the invention is directed to a conveying device for positioning a meat product in a stable position to allow for subsequent adjustments to cut the product.
Methods for cutting meat products are known in the art. For example, to remove the upper portion of a pork shoulder, conventionally an operator would manually position the shoulder to allow for manual cutting. This method was labor intensive and time consuming.
To improve upon this method, the shoulder was placed onto a transport conveyor and an operator would manually align the shoulder with a projected light beam prior to being transported to a cutting device. While an improvement, this method still required manual labor and is not the most accurate as if one cuts through a bone, the product moves and yield is lost. Therefore, there exists a need for a conveyor that addresses these deficiencies in the art.
An objective of the present invention is to provide a positioning conveyor that provides a more consistent cut.
A further objective is to provide a positioning conveyor that improves yield.
A still further objective is to provide a positioning conveyor that reduces manual labor.
These and other objectives will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art based on the following written description, drawings, and claims.